System and Method For Manufacturing Using a Virtual Frame of Reference

ABSTRACT

System and method to use a virtual frame of reference to evaluate and control a manufacturing system. Electronic images from a vision system may be analyzed using the virtual frame of reference to control the phasing of devices in the manufacturing system and to generate alerts.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of International Application No.PCT/US11/37938 filed on May 25, 2011, designating the U.S.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method formanufacturing, and more particularly to a system and method using avirtual frame of reference to electronically evaluate the position ofcomponents used in the manufacturing process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During the manufacturing of consumer goods, the position of componentsused in the manufacturing process may affect the overall quality of thegoods and the acceptance of the goods by consumers. Consumers oftendesire consistency in the configuration of purchased goods for bothfunctional and aesthetic reasons. To ensure consistency throughout themanufacturing process, components must be positioned uniformly.

By way of example, many disposable absorbent products such as diapersand feminine hygiene products include a core of absorbent materialpositioned between a top sheet and a bottom sheet. Variations in theplacement of the core within the finished good can result in leakage andreduce the functionality of the product. Even if the placement of thecore and other components do not affect the functionality of theproduct, consumers expect each product to maintain the same look andfeel as one another. For example, a winged pantiliner having anoff-center or skewed core may create confusion for a consumer as to thebest way to place such a pantiliner in her undergarment. Or, forexample, the placement of a popular design on a diaper (e.g., a popularchildren's character, a team logo, and other familiar designs) must beconsistently placed, in order to ensure that the design is fully shown(e.g., that a headless character is not shown, a team logo is notmissing the name of the team's city, and other inconsistencies).

Based on the foregoing, developing new vision systems that automate amanufacturing process to produce consumer goods can be challenging anddifficult.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A controller for a manufacturing system is shown and described herein.The controller includes one or more processors and one or more memorydevices communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The oneor more memory devices store machine instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receivean electronic image of a component used in the manufacturing system. Theinstructions also cause the one or more processors to analyze theelectronic image using a virtual frame of reference to determine alocation value associated with the component, to compare the locationvalue and a setpoint, and to generate a phasing command for a machine inthe manufacturing system based on the comparison.

A computerized method for determining and controlling the positions ofcomponents in a manufacturing system is shown and described herein. Themethod includes capturing an electronic image of a component used in themanufacturing system and analyzing, by one or more processors, theelectronic image using a virtual frame of reference to determine alocation value associated with the component. The method furtherincludes comparing the location value and a setpoint and also includesgenerating a phasing command for a machine in the manufacturing systembased on the comparison.

A computerized method for controlling a component transformation in amanufacturing system is shown and described herein. The method includesreceiving, at one or more processors, electronic images of componentsused by the manufacturing system to produce a manufactured good andclassifying the images into two or more subpopulations. The method alsoincludes analyzing the images, by the one or more processors, using avirtual frame of reference to determine location values associated withthe components. The method further includes using the location values todetermine a mathematical characteristic of each of the subpopulationsand using the mathematical characteristic to generate a phasing commandfor a machine in the manufacturing system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the present disclosure can be bestunderstood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherelike structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vision system;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an electronic image;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a controller;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing system;

FIG. 5A is an illustration of a core sheet having uniformly-orientedfeatures;

FIG. 5B is an illustration of a core sheet having features withalternating orientations;

FIG. 6A is an illustration of uniformly-oriented cores being turned tohave a uniform orientation in the machine direction;

FIG. 6B is an illustration of cores having alternating orientationsbeing turned to have a uniform orientation in the machine direction;

FIG. 6C is an illustration of cores having alternating orientationsbeing turned to have alternating orientations in the machine direction;

FIG. 7A is a side-view illustration of an individual core locatedbetween a top sheet and a back sheet; and

FIG. 7B is a top-view illustration of an individual core located betweena crimped topsheet and back sheet.

Individual aspects of the drawings will be more fully apparent andunderstood in view of the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Present techniques to help automate the manufacture of goods oftenrequire using additional sensors, providing timing marks on the productitself, and/or making manual adjustments to the manufacturing process.It has been discovered that utilizing a virtual frame of referenceallows for a reduction in the number of devices used by themanufacturing process and improves the overall quality of themanufactured goods. In addition, utilizing virtual frames of referencehelps to automate the manufacturing process, thereby reducing thepossibility of human error in adjusting the process.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the following terms are defined as follows:

“Disposable absorbent article” refers to feminine hygiene products(e.g., pantiliners or pads), disposable diapers, pull-ons, trainingpants, and adult incontinence articles.

“Machine direction” (MD) refers to the direction of movement of acomponent along a manufacturing line.

“Cross direction” (CD) refers to the direction substantiallyperpendicular or perpendicular to the MD and across the component as itmoves along a manufacturing line.

“Component” refers to any material, part, or combination of materialsand/or parts used in the construction of a final good by a manufacturingsystem.

“Phase” refers to the positional relationship between two or more partsof a machine that performs repetitive motion. For example, phase mayrefer to the relative position of a roller that unwinds a roll ofmaterial used in the manufacturing process. In another example, phasemay also refer to the relative position of a punch that stamps aperturesinto a component used in the manufacturing process. When utilized asverbs, the terms “phasing,” “phased,” “phase,” and the like refer to theact of changing the phase of a device from one phase to another. Forexample, the act of phasing a roller may refer to advancing or retardingthe rotation of the roller about its primary axis.

“Component transformation” refers to any action performed by themanufacturing process on one or more components used to produce thefinal consumer goods. In general, a component transformation may be anychange to the configuration of a component performed by themanufacturing process. Some component transformations may only changethe spatial properties of a component, while others may change thephysical properties of the component. For example, rotating, flipping,and reorienting components are component transformations. Increasing orretarding the speed of motion of a component within the manufacturingprocess may also be component transformations. Other examples oftransformations include cutting components, joining components,separating components from one another, changing the shapes ofcomponents, perforating components, punching or cutting apertures intocomponents, and changing the look of components (e.g., by applyinggraphics, paint, dyes, or the like).

“Controller” refers to any electronic device or system that providescontrol commands to another electronic and/or mechanical system. Acontroller includes one or more processors (e.g., a microprocessor,central processing unit, application-specific integrated circuit, or thelike). A controller may also include one or more memory devices (e.g., aRAM, ROM, non-volatile memory, flash memory, non-transitory memory, harddrive, disk drive, or any other electronic device capable of storingmachine instructions) that communicate locally or remotely with the oneor more processors. The one or more memory devices store machineinstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe one or more processors to provide the control commands. Non-limitingexamples of controllers include personal computers, servers,programmable logic controllers (PLCs), tablet computers, handheldcomputing devices, mobile telephones, distributed computing systems,cameras, and electronic displays.

Vision Systems Using Virtual Frames of Reference

In general, a vision system includes one or more cameras that captureimages of components as they move through the manufacturing process. Anyknown type of electronic camera may be used. For example, a camera maybe a charge-coupled device, a CMOS-pixel based device, or the like. Theimage data captured by a camera is provided to one or more controllersfor further analysis. A camera may have one or more controllersintegrated as part of the device (e.g., within the same housing as thecamera) and/or transmit the image data to one or more controllersexternal to the camera. The one or more controllers analyze the imagedata using a virtual frame of reference to determine if themanufacturing process needs to be adjusted. If an adjustment is needed,the one or more controllers generate control commands that change howone or more upstream and/or downstream component transformations areperformed.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustrative schematic of vision system 100is shown. Vision system 100 includes camera 104. As shown, camera 104may be positioned in a fixed location and capture an electronic image ofa component 106, as it passes vision system 100 in the machine directionalong manufacturing line 108. Camera 104 may be oriented in any numberof positions in relation to the direction of motion of component 106.For example, camera 104 may be positioned above or below component 106,along the side of component 106, or somewhere therebetween. Camera 104may take continuous images (e.g., video) or still-frames that arecaptured periodically or in response to receiving a trigger from anupstream and/or downstream device.

Camera 104 provides a captured electronic image to controller 102, whichanalyzes the image using a virtual frame of reference to determine if anadjustment to the manufacturing process is needed. The virtual frame ofreference allows analysis of the spatio- or spatio-temporal location ofcomponent 106 as it relates to the manufacturing process and/or othercomponents within the manufacturing process. Controller 102 may analyzethe position, orientation, and/or timing of component 106 as it passesvision system 100 to determine if an upstream or downstream componenttransformation requires adjustment. For example, if an upstreamcomponent transformation reorients component 106, controller 102 mayanalyze the position of component 106 relative to a setpoint positionand send a control signal to the upstream process to ensure that theposition of future components approaches the setpoint position. Inanother example, controller 102 may analyze the timing of component 106(e.g., to determine if component 106 reaches vision system 100 earlieror later than expected) and advance or retard an upstream or downstreamtransformation device, in order to ensure that the component 106 reachesthe vision system 100 at the expected time.

In general, a virtual frame of reference allows the location of acomponent to be determined relative to one or more coordinates (e.g.,points, lines, areas, or the like) in the image. If the one or morecameras of a vision system remain at fixed locations, each image may beviewed as a set of coordinates, allowing the location of the componentwithin an image to be determined. For example, the number of pixels froman edge of the image to an edge of the component within the image can beused to determine the position of the component. Similarly, the timingof when images are captured allows for comparisons to be made betweenmultiple components that pass the vision system. In some cases, imagesmay be captured continuously, periodically, and/or in response to anupstream or downstream trigger. When the camera remains in a fixedposition, a virtual frame of reference may be used to analyze acomponent's location within an image and to adjust the manufacturingprocess. If the camera is not in a fixed position (e.g., moving), avirtual frame of reference may still be used, but must be adjusted tocompensate for the movement of the camera. It is to be understood thatwhile the descriptions herein primarily refer to camera positions thatallow the edges of images to correspond to the MD and CD axes, this ismerely illustrative and a vision system's camera may be oriented in anyposition to create a virtual frame of reference.

Using the virtual frame of reference, a vision system may make anynumber of determinations relating to the position and/or timing of acomponent passing the vision system. For example, a controller maydetermine the MD length, corner locations, skew, CD placement, and/or MDplacement of a component. Additionally, a controller may determine thelocation of any distinguishing features on the component (e.g., anaperture, visual indicia, a physical characteristic, or the like). Forexample, a controller may determine the CD and/or MD placement ofapertures on a component.

The controller utilizes the determined positions of a component relativeto the virtual frame of reference to adjust the manufacturing process.The controller may compare data relating to the actual position of thecomponent to one or more setpoints, to determine if the manufacturingprocess needs to be adjusted. In some cases, the setpoints may begenerated by the controller by analyzing one or more populations ofcomponents that pass the vision system. For example, an average positionfor a population of prior components may be used to generate a setpointto analyze future components passing the vision system. In other cases,some or all of the setpoints may be preloaded into the controller.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an illustration of an electronic image 200 isshown. Image 200 is captured as component 201 passes the camera of avision system and analyzed to determine the location of component 201relative to a virtual frame of reference. For example, this analysis mayinclude determining the leading and trailing edges of component 201 inthe machine direction (e.g., edges 216 and 218, respectively), locatingone or more corners 214 of component 201, and/or determining thelocation of one or more edges of component 201 in the cross-direction(e.g., edges 220 and 222). In cases where component 201 is of asubstantially quadrilateral shape, the controller may locate the cornersusing the intersection of the edges of component 201. In cases wherecomponent 201 is not of a quadrilateral shape, the controller mayanalyze the curvature of the leading and trailing edges of component 201in the machine direction to approximate the location of the corners. Inaddition to determining the spatial characteristics of component 201within image 200, a controller may also determine the location ofdistinguishing features 210 (e.g., apertures, visual indicia, or thelike).

The location of component 201 may be defined relative to any fixed pointwithin image 200. For example, actual MD position 204 may be locatedrelative to leading or trailing edges 224 of image 200 in the machinedirection (e.g., by counting the number of pixels between an edge 224and actual MD position 204, or the like). In another example, the actualCD position 208 may be measured using the location of the corners 214 ofcomponent 201. Another exemplary measurement includes the CD position offeatures 210, which may be determined relative to a virtual location inthe cross-direction (e.g., centerline 212 of the image 200, or thelike). Similarly, the MD position of features 210 may be determinedrelative to the leading edge 216 of component 201, or any other locationin the machine direction.

In general, MD-related measurements within the virtual frame ofreference also rely on a temporal component, since MD positions aredependent on the timing of the manufacturing system. In other words,image 200 must be captured at the proper moment, to ensure thatpositional measurements are meaningful. In some cases, the capturing ofimage 200 may be triggered periodically or triggered by the performanceof a downstream transformation. In general CD-related measurementswithin the virtual frame of reference may be made with regard to theposition of the camera. For example, CD-related measurements may be madewith regard to the fixed location of a mirror plate or other physicallocation associated with the position of the camera.

Non-limiting examples of measurements that can be made by analyzingimage 200 are as follows:

The MD length of component 201 (“Length_(MD)”) may be determined as:

Length_(MD)=MD trailing edge−MD leading edge

using the difference between MD edges 216 and 218. In other examples,the length of the component may be determined using the differencebetween any two points on the perimeter of the component.

The skew of component 201 may be determined using the locations of 214.For example, the skew may be determined by using the following equation:

${Skew} = {\left( {{C\; D\mspace{14mu} {midpoint}_{lead}} - {C\; D\mspace{14mu} {midpoint}_{trail}}} \right)*\left( \frac{2*{length}_{MD}}{M\; D\mspace{14mu} {distance}\mspace{14mu} {between}\mspace{14mu} {midpoints}} \right)}$

where CD midpoint_(lead) is the CD midpoint 228 of the corners 214 onthe MD leading side 216 of component 201, CD midpoint_(trail) is the CDmidpoint 230 of the corners 214 on the MD trailing side 218 of component201, length_(MD) is the length of the component in the MD direction (asdetermined above), and MD distance is the MD distance between midpoints228, 230.

The CD placement of component 201 may be determined using the locationsof its corners 214. For example, the CD placement (Placement_(CD)) maybe determined using the following equation:

${Placement}_{CD} = {{{avg}\left( {C\; D\mspace{14mu} {midpoints}} \right)} = \frac{{C\; D\mspace{14mu} {midpoint}_{trail}} - {C\; D\mspace{14mu} {midpoint}_{lead}}}{2}}$

where CD midpoint_(lead) is the CD midpoint 228 of corners 214 on the MDleading side 216 of component 201 and CD midpoint_(trail) is the CDmidpoint 230 of the corners 214 on the MD trailing side 218 of component201.

The MD placement of the component may be determined using the leadingedge of the component in MD direction. For example, the MD placement ofthe component may be determined relative to an edge of the electronicimage as follows:

Placement_(MD)=MD leading edge−Image_(lead)

where Image_(lead) is the location of edge 224 of image 200 image in theleading machine direction and MD leading edge is the actual MD position204.

The CD and/or MD placement of distinguishable features 210 of component201 may also be determined. For example, the CD placement of features210 (Feature Placement_(CD)) may be determined as follows:

Feature Placement_(CD)=CD edge of the 1st feature−CD edge of thecomponent

Similarly, the MD placement of the features (Feature Placement_(MD)) maybe determined as follows:

Feature Placement_(MD)=MD edge of the 1st feature−MD edge of thecomponent

This way, the location of distinguishable features can also be locatedon component 201.

In some cases, a controller analyzing electronic image 200 may alsomaintain one or more setpoint locations indicative of where component201 should be positioned. For example, a MD setpoint 202 may indicatewhere actual MD position 204 should be at the time electronic image 200is taken. Similarly, a CD setpoint 206 may indicate the ideal locationof actual CD position 208. The controller may use the setpoint locationsto provide phasing commands and/or alerts to other upstream and/ordownstream devices associated with the manufacturing process. Forexample, if the skew of the component is beyond an acceptable range ofthreshold values, an alert may be provided by the controller signifyingthat maintenance may be needed or a phasing command may be sent to acomponent transformation device. In another example, if actual MDposition 204 is located on the trailing side of MD setpoint 202 alongthe MD axis, this may be indicative of component 201 reaching MDsetpoint 202 earlier or later than expected. The controller may use thisdetermination to advance or retard an upstream or downstream componenttransformation device, accordingly. Similarly, if controller 102determines that any variation exists between CD setpoint 206 and actualCD position 208, controller 102 may send a phasing control command to anupstream or downstream component transformation device to adjust howcomponents are positioned in the cross-direction.

A controller analyzing an image may perform any number of functionsassociated with the analysis of the image. In some cases, a controllermay generate an alert and/or stop an operation of the manufacturingprocess, if the difference between a measurement and a setpoint is abovea threshold. In other cases, the controller may issue one or morephasing commands that adjust the phasing of one or more transformationsin the manufacturing process (e.g., issue one or more phasing commandsto a component transformation device). Phasing commands may be eitherdirect commands (e.g., if the controller provides direct control overthe component transformation device) or indirect commands (e.g.,indications of the determination provided to the controller thatprovides direct control over the component transformation device). Infurther cases, the controller may communicate with other computingdevices, interface devices, and/or alarms, to receive and convey dataabout the image analysis.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic illustration of controller 102 isshown. Controller 102 includes a processor 302, which may be one or moreprocessors communicatively coupled to a memory 304, interface 306, andinterface 308. Memory 304 may be any form of memory capable of storingmachine-executable instructions that implement one or more of thefunctions disclosed herein, when executed by processor 302. For example,memory 304 may be a RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard drive, EEPROM, CD-ROM,DVD, other forms of non-transitory memory devices, or the like. In somecases, memory 304 may be any combination of different memory devices.

Controller 102 receives electronic images from one or more cameras 104via connection 312 and interface 306. In some cases, controller 102 mayalso provide control over camera 104 via connection 312. For example,controller 102 may control when camera 104 captures an image using atiming value stored in parameters 330 and/or using a trigger receivedfrom another device (e.g., transformation devices 316, other computingdevices 334, or the like). Controller 104 may also provide phasingcommands to transformation devices 316 via interface 306 and connection314. Transformation devices 316 may be any device that performs acomponent transformation in the manufacturing system. By way ofnon-limiting examples, transformation devices 316 may be punchers,cutters, crimpers, turners, embossers, winders, unwinders, lotionapplicators, or the like.

Connections 312 and 314 may be any combination of hardwired or wirelessconnections. For example, connection 312 may be a hardwired connectionto provide electronic images to controller 102, while connection 314 maybe a wireless connection to provide phasing commands to transformationdevices 316. In some cases, connections 312 and 314 may be part of ashared connection that conveys information between controller 102,camera 104, and transformation devices 316. In yet other cases,connections 312 and 314 may include one or more intermediary circuits(e.g., routers, modems, controllers, signal processors, and the like)and provide indirect connections to controller 102.

Interface 306 is configured to receive and transmit data betweencontroller 102, camera 104, and/or other transformation devices 316. Forexample, interface 306 may include one or more wireless receivers if anyof connections 312 or 314 are wireless. Interface 306 may also includeone or more wired ports if any of connections 312 or 314 are wiredconnections.

Interface 308 may provide one or more wired or wireless connectionsbetween controller 102, other computing devices 334 (e.g., one or morecontrollers, computers, servers, portable devices, PLCs, or the like),interface devices 336 (e.g., one or more electronic displays,human-machine interfaces, speakers, or the like), and/or alarms 338(e.g., one or more sirens, flashing lights, or the like) via connections320, 322, and 323, respectively. For example, interface 308 may providea wired connection between controller 102 and a display (e.g., aninterface device 336) and a wireless connection between controller 102and a remote server (e.g., other computing device 334) via the Internet.

Memory 304 is shown to include image analyzer 324, which is configuredto receive and analyze the electronic images captured by camera 104.Image analyzer 324 detects the space occupied by a component within theimage. In non-limiting examples, image analyzer 324 may detect a leadingor trailing edge of a component in the machine direction, one or moreedges in the cross-direction, and one or more corners of the component.In this way, image analyzer 324 may locate the perimeter of a componentwithin the electronic image, and/or locate distinguishable features ofthe components (e.g., apertures, designs, protrusions, or the like).

Image analyzer 324 may also determine the location of a component in animage relative to another location and performs measurements based onthe location. For example, the location of a point may be analyzedrelative to another point in the image (e.g., a coordinate, an edge ofthe image, a fixed line, or the like). Non-limiting examples ofmeasurements performed by image analyzer 324 include: MD length, skew,CD placement, MD placement, feature CD placement, and/or feature MDplacement. Image analyzer 324 may also maintain an average of themeasurements (e.g., a moving average, a weighted average, or the like)for a set number of components that are analyzed. For example, anaverage measurement may be maintained for the previous MD placementvalues for the last fifty components. In some cases, an average is onlycalculated using measurements for components when the manufacturingsystem is at full operational speed. Image analyzer 324 may also makeone or more of the measurements based on a transformation yet to beperformed on the component. For example, a downstream device in themanufacturing process (e.g., other computing device 334, componenttransformation device 316, or the like) may provide a trigger tocontroller 102, which causes camera 104 to capture an image in response.Such timing allows controller 102 to analyze the image with regard tothe future transformations (e.g., in relation to a virtual cut line,placement of a feature onto the component, or the like).

Memory 304 is also shown to include a setpoint generator 326, which usesmeasurements from image analyzer 324 to generate one or more setpoints.In general, the setpoints may be coordinates, lines, or areas in thereference system that correspond to an expected measurement valueassociated with a component. In some cases, setpoint generator 326 maydetermine a setpoint using an average of measurements from imageanalyzer 324 for a set number of components. For example, setpointgenerator 326 may calculate an MD setpoint using the average (e.g., amoving average, weighted average, or the like) of the MD leading edge ofthe last fifty components that have passed camera 104. Setpointgenerator 326 may also utilize data from transformation devices 316 todetermine a setpoint (e.g., a virtual cut line, where a feature is to beplaced onto the component, or the like). In some cases, setpointgenerator 326 may maintain a group of two or more setpoints for ameasurement, if components passing camera 104 have differentorientations. For example, if components periodically pass camera 104 inthree different orientations, setpoint generator 326 may use theorientation of the latest component to select the appropriate setpoint.

Parameters 330 may include any number of user or system definedparameters that override or control the functions of controller 102. Forexample, parameters 330 may include parameters that specify how manycomponents are analyzed by setpoint generator 326 before a setpoint isgenerated, a setpoint value that overrides a generated setpoint, when analert is to be issued, or any other setting. Parameters 330 may bepreloaded into memory 304 and/or specified via other computing devices334 or interface devices 336. For example, a user utilizing atouchscreen display (e.g., an interface device 336) may change a settingin parameters 330.

Memory 304 may include a setpoint analyzer 328 that compares one or moremeasurements from image analyzer 324 to one or more setpoints. The oneor more setpoints may be generated by setpoint generator 326 or presetin parameters 330. Setpoint analyzer 328 determines the differencebetween the measurement and the setpoint, in order to determine iffurther action needs to be taken by controller 102. Setpoint analyzer328 may also compare the difference between the measurement and thesetpoint to a threshold, in order to determine if further action isneeded. In some cases, setpoint analyzer 328 may also utilize othervariables (e.g., an offset, a multiplier, an average of measurements, orthe like) as part of the determination.

If setpoint analyzer 328 determines that further action by controller102 is needed, it may provide an indication of this determination toalerts 333. Alerts 333 may include, in non-limiting examples, messagesindicating that a component should be rejected based on length, skew, CDplacement, MD placement, aperture CD placement, aperture MD placement,or any other measurement from the electronic image. For example, if theskew of the component is outside of an acceptable range, controller 102may generate an alert to a machine operator via interface devices 336and/or alarms 338 that maintenance may be needed. In another example,alerts 333 may be provided to other computing devices 334 to keep trackof the number of rejected components.

If setpoint analyzer 328 determines that further action by controller102 is needed, it may also provide an indication of this determinationto phase command generator 332. Phase command generator 332 generatesphasing commands for transformation devices 316, which perform componenttransformations in the manufacturing system. In general, phase commandsmay cause the advancing or retarding of the processing of components byone or more component transformation devices 316. In some cases, a phasecommand may provide direct control over a component transformationdevice 316. In other cases, a phase command may be a command to othercomputing devices 334 (e.g., a controller) that causes the phasing of acomponent transformation device 316 (e.g., a crimper or turner). Forexample, a phase command may control when a crimper applies crimping toa component.

As can be appreciated, the vision systems described herein can be usedto adjust any number of component transformations in manufacturingsystems that produce any number of different types of goods. Such visionsystems are able to automatically adjust a manufacturing system withoutuser interaction and improve the overall quality of the finalizedproducts. Any number of different types of manufacturing systems may bebuilt by varying the number and type of transformation devices, and byutilizing one or more of the vision systems described herein to automatethe system.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a schematic illustration of a manufacturingsystem 400 is shown. Manufacturing system 400 may be scaled toaccommodate any number of manufacturing processes to manufacture anynumber of different types of goods. As shown the subscripts “a,” “b,”“c,” and “m” are intended to denote a numerical range of values from thenumber one to the variable “m.” Where a plurality of similarly-labelleddevices are shown (e.g., material delivery devices 414 a, 414 b, 414 c,414 m), this is intended to be non-limiting and to convey thatmanufacturing system 400 may include any number of such devices (e.g.,manufacturing system 400 may have one, two, three, etc., componentdelivery devices).

Manufacturing system 400 may include one or more material deliverydevices (e.g., material delivery devices 414 a, 414 b, 414 c, 414 m)that provide component materials to manufacturing system 400 for furtherprocessing. A material delivery device may provide a raw material,semi-finished component, or a finished component, depending on itsconfiguration. Non-limiting examples of material delivery devicesinclude rollers, pumps, conveyor belts, and the like.

As shown, each component material is fashioned by manufacturing system400 into individual components by any number of transformation devices.For example, a component material provided by material delivery device414 a may be transformed by a first transformation device 408 a, anintermediary transformation device 406 a, and/or a final transformationdevice 416 a. As can be appreciated, any number of componenttransformation devices may be used in manufacturing system 400 toprocess an individual component. For example, a first component may beprocessed by a single transformation device 408 a (e.g., intermediarytransformation device 406 a and final transformation device 416 a may beomitted), by two transformation devices 408 a, 406 a (e.g., finaltransformation device 416 a may be omitted), by three transformationdevices 408 a, 406 a, 416 a, or by more than three transformationdevices (e.g., additional transformation devices may performtransformations between the transformations performed by the firsttransformation device 408 a and intermediary transformation device 406 aand/or between intermediary transformation device 406 a and finaltransformation device 416 a).

In addition to performing component transformations on individualcomponents, manufacturing system 400 may also include any number oftransformation devices that combine components (e.g., a first combiningdevice 412 a, a second combining device 412 b, an m^(th) combiningdevice 412 m, and the like). Manufacturing system 400 may also includeany number of transformation devices that perform transformations oncombined components (e.g., a first transformation device 410 a, a secondtransformation device 410 b, and the like). As can be appreciated,manufacturing system 400 may be scaled to accommodate any number ofdifferent combinations of components by adding or removingtransformation devices, as needed.

As shown, manufacturing system 400 may also include any number of visionsystems that monitor the processing of individual components (e.g.,vision system 402 a, 402 b, 402 c, 402 m) and/or the processing ofcombined components (e.g., vision systems 404 a, 404 b). In some cases,a transformation device may trigger a vision system to capture images ofcomponents as the components pass the vision system. For example, anintermediary transformation device 406 a performing a componenttransformation may trigger vision system 402 a to capture an image. Theone or more vision systems in manufacturing system 400 analyze imagesusing virtual frames of reference to determine if other transformationdevices in system 400 need to be adjusted (e.g., phased). For example,vision system 402 a may determine that an upstream transformation device(e.g., first transformation device 408 a, or the like) and/or downstreamtransformation device (e.g., combining device 410 a, or the like) needsto be adjusted.

In a more detailed example of how manufacturing system 400 may be usedto manufacture goods, reference will now be made with respect tomanufacturing disposable absorbent articles. It is to be understood thatthis is intended to be a non-limiting example and that manufacturingsystem 400 may manufacture any number of different types of goods. Afirst material deliver device 414 a may provide the core material tomanufacturing system 400. The core material may comprise any number ofdifferent absorbent materials configured to absorb liquids. Similarly, asecond material delivery device 414 b may provide a back sheet and athird material delivery device 414 c may provide a top sheet tomanufacturing system 400. In general, a disposable absorbent article maybe constructed by positioning an absorbent core material between anabsorbent top sheet and a non-absorbent back sheet (e.g., by combiningdevice 412 b), crimping the sheets together (e.g., by transformationdevice 410 b), and cutting the crimped sheets (e.g., by transformationdevice 412 m).

Each individual material used to manufacture the disposable absorbentarticle may undergo one or more component transformations before beingcombined. For example, features, such as apertures, may be cut into thecore sheet (e.g., by first transformation device 408 a), individualcores may be cut from the core sheet (e.g., by intermediarytransformation device 406 a), and individual cores may be reoriented forfurther processing (e.g., by final transformation device 416 a).Similarly, the top sheet, back sheet, and/or any other components usedto manufacture the disposable absorbent article may undergo any numberof transformations prior to being combined.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, illustrations of a core sheet 500 areshown as non-limiting examples. As shown, features 501 are placed ontocore sheet 500 by one or more transformations and core sheet 500 is cutinto individual cores 502 by further transformations. For example,features 501 may be apertures that are cut into core sheet 500 in orderto increase absorbency. In another example, features 501 may be designsapplied to core sheet 500.

Any number of orientations of individual cores may be produced from coresheet 500. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, features 501 are orientedin a uniform direction and core sheet 500 may be cut to produceindividual cores 502 having a uniform orientation. However, as shown inFIG. 5B, features 501 are applied to core sheet 500 in alternatingpositions, thereby creating two different populations of individualcores (e.g., cores 504 and 506). In further examples (not shown), anynumber of different populations of individual cores may be producedusing core sheet 500.

In other transformations, individual cores may be cut from a core sheetand the cores reoriented for further processing. For example, if twopopulations of cores are created by applying features in alternatingdirections, the resulting individual cores may later be reoriented intoa single orientation in the machine direction. As can be appreciated,individual cores may be reoriented into any number of differentdirections, thereby creating any number of different populations ofindividual cores.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6C, illustrations of transformations of coresheet 500 are shown as non-limiting examples. In FIG. 6A, features 501are placed onto core sheet 500 in a uniform direction. Individual cores502 are later cut from core sheet 500 and turned for further processingby the manufacturing system, such that individual cores 502 have auniform orientation. In FIG. 6B, features 501 are placed onto core sheet500 in alternating directions, creating two populations of cores 504 and506. Again, individual cores 504, 506 are cut from core sheet 500 andthen turned to have the same orientation in the machine direction. InFIG. 6C, features 501 are placed onto core sheet 500 in alternatingdirections, cut into individual cores 504, 506, and then reoriented suchthat individual cores 504 and 506 have alternating orientations afterbeing turned. As can be appreciated, any number of differenttransformations involving applying features to a core sheet, cutting thecore sheet into individual cores, and reorienting the cores may be used.

Referring again to FIG. 4, one example of how system 400 may be used tomanufacture a disposable absorbent article can be seen, based on theforegoing. A sheet of core material may be unwound by material deliverydevice 414 a and features may be added to it by a first transformationdevice 408 a. An intermediary transformation device 406 a cuts the coresheet into individual cores, and a final transformation device 416 athen reorients the cut cores for further processing in system 400.Vision system 402 a may be triggered by the processing of intermediarytransformation device 406 a, thereby causing an image of the core sheetto be captured. A controller of the vision system 402 a then analyzesthe image to ensure that the locations of the component in the imageand/or the features on the component are properly placed within theimage. For example, a possible setpoint used by the controller as partof this determination may correspond to a virtual cut line (e.g., wherethe intermediary transformation device 406 a is expected to cut the coresheet into an individual core). If the locations of the component and/orfeatures are not located at a setpoint or within a predefined setpointrange (e.g., the difference between a measurement and a setpoint isabove a threshold value), the controller of vision system 402 a mayprovide a phasing command (e.g., an adjustment command) to firsttransformation device 408 a. In some cases, the controller mayadditionally provide an alert to a user or other computing device.

Further component transformations used to manufacture a disposableabsorbent article may include placing individual cores between a topsheet and a back sheet, crimping the top sheet and back sheet, andcutting the sheets. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A (a section view), acore 502 may be combined with a top sheet 700 and back sheet 702, suchthat core 502 is positioned between them. Top sheet 700 and core 502 areconfigured to absorb liquid, while back sheet 702 acts to retain excessliquid that may pass through core 502. In FIG. 7B, a topview of thecombined components is shown. The orientation of core 502 within topsheet 700 and back sheet 702 depends on how core 502 is oriented by acore turning transformation is performed by a component transformationdevice (e.g., final transformation device 416 a).

Referring back to FIG. 4, combining devices 412 a and 412 b may operateto position an individual core between a top sheet and a back sheet. Atransformation device 410 b then crimps the top sheet and back sheet inorder to secure the individual core between them. Vision system 404 aand/or 404 b may observe the combined components and adjust one or moretransformation devices in manufacturing system 400 accordingly. In somecases, the capturing of an electronic image by vision system 404 aand/or 404 b may be triggered by the performance of a transformation bya transformation device. For example, transformation device 410 b mayprovide a trigger to a vision system 404 b, indicative of when a topsheet and back sheet are crimped.

Vision system 404 b may analyze the characteristics of any number ofsubpopulations of components. In some cases, a subpopulation may includeevery nth component that passes vision system 404 b, where n is greaterthan one. For example, a subpopulation may include every othercomponent, every third component, every fourth component, etc. Visionsystem 404 b may also analyze each subpopulation individually and/orcompare different subpopulations, in order to determine if a phasingcommand is needed. For example, if a turner orients components intothree different orientations, vision system 404 b may analyze threedifferent subpopulations of components using virtual frames ofreference, where each subpopulation corresponds to a differentorientation from the turner. In some cases, vision system 404 b may alsodetermine one or more mathematical characteristics of a subpopulation. Amathematical characteristic of a subpopulation may be any characteristicthat generalizes position values for components within thesubpopulation. In non-limiting examples, a mathematical characteristicmay be an average CD position, an average MD position, an aggregate CDposition, or an aggregate MD position. In other cases, vision system 404b may determine a mathematical characteristic across multiplesubpopulations, in order to determine if a phasing command is needed. Ina non-limiting example, vision system 404 b may compare the average MDposition of the previous fifty components to a threshold, in order todetermine if a phasing command is needed.

If components are turned in two or more different orientations (e.g.,subpopulations), the turning component transformation may have an effecton both the CD position and the MD position of the components. Forexample, since the position of an individual core component crimpedbetween sheet components affects the overall quality of the disposableabsorbent article, vision system 404 b may adjust the phasing of aturner that turns the individual core component (e.g., finaltransformation device 416 a). In cases in which the turner creates twoor more differently oriented sets of core components, the vision system404 b may maintain running averages of the CD placements for each of thetwo subpopulations. The vision system 404 b may then analyze thedifference between the average CD placements of the two subpopulations,to determine if phasing is necessary. If the difference exceeds apredefined threshold, a phasing command may be sent to the turner. Inanother case, the average CD placement of an individual subpopulationmay be compared to a threshold value, to determine if a phasing commandis needed. Analysis of CD placements may be repeated to verify that thephasing command caused the CD placements to move below the threshold. Ifthe difference between the CD placement and the threshold increased, aphasing command may be provided by vision system 404 b to the turnercorresponding to the opposite direction. In addition, if the differenceis greater than a second threshold (e.g., larger than the firstthreshold), vision system 404 may disable the issuance of phasingcommands altogether and issue an alert to an operator and/or anothercomputing device.

Vision system 404 b may also maintain a running average of MD placementvalues for a set number of components (e.g., across multiplesubpopulations). The controller may generate a target setpoint for thisaverage versus the assumed position of the leading edge of the MD cut tobe performed by a transformation device 412 m (e.g., a cutter that cutsthe crimped sheets). If the average MD placement moves outside of therange defined by the setpoint plus or minus a predefined range, thecontroller provides a phasing command to a transformation device 410 band/or transformation device 412 m (e.g., a crimper and/or cutter). Forexample, if the average MD placement is outside of the acceptable range,this may indicate that components are arriving at one or more downstreamtransformation devices earlier or later than expected. In this case, thecontroller may send a phasing command to an upstream and/or downstreamtransformation device to advance or retard a transformation device, inorder to correct the timing of the manufacturing system.

Although the systems and methods disclosed are primarily described inrelation to a manufacturing system for disposable absorbent articles, itis to be understood that this is illustrative only and not intended tobe limiting. It is contemplated that the teaching of the presentdisclosure may be applied to any type of manufacturing system, withoutdeviating from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, avirtual frame of reference may be based on a cutting operation that hasnot yet been performed in a manufacturing system for disposableabsorbent articles or may be based on the future placement of a racingstripe in a manufacturing system for an automobile. Similarly, thevision system described herein can be adapted to provide phasing controlover any type of machinery in a manufacturing process and is notintended to be limited to those machines used to manufacture disposableabsorbent articles.

Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedescription. The above-described descriptions of the various systems andmethods may be used alone or in any combination thereof withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Although the description andfigures may show a specific ordering of steps, it is to be understoodthat different orderings of the steps are also contemplated in thepresent disclosure. Likewise, one or more steps may be performedconcurrently or partially concurrently. It is therefore intended tocover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controller for a manufacturing systemcomprising: one or more processors; and one or more memory devicescommunicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the oneor more memory devices store machine instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receivean electronic image of a component used in the manufacturing system;analyze the electronic image using a virtual frame of reference todetermine a location value associated with the component; compare thelocation value and a setpoint; and generate a phasing command for amachine in the manufacturing system based on the comparison.
 2. Thecontroller of claim 1, wherein the setpoint is determined relative tothe location of a transformation that has not yet been performed by themanufacturing system.
 3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the machineinstructions further cause the one or more processors to generate analert based on the comparison.
 4. The controller of claim 1, wherein theinstructions further cause the one or more processors to disablegeneration of phasing commands if the difference between the locationvalue and the setpoint is greater than a threshold value.
 5. Thecontroller of claim 1, wherein the location value is an average oflocations for a set of components.
 6. The controller of claim 1, whereinthe phasing command phases a crimper in the manufacturing system.
 7. Thecontroller of claim 1, wherein the phasing command phases a turner inthe manufacturing system.
 8. A computerized method for controlling acomponent transformation in a manufacturing system, comprising:capturing an electronic image of a component used in the manufacturingsystem; analyzing, by one or more processors, the electronic image usinga virtual frame of reference to determine a location value associatedwith the component; comparing the location value and a setpoint; andgenerating a phasing command for a machine in the manufacturing systembased on the comparison.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theelectronic image is captured in response to a component transformationbeing performed by the manufacturing system.
 10. The method of claim 8,further comprising generating an alert based on the comparison.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising determining, by the one or moreprocessors, if the component should be rejected based on the comparison,wherein the location value comprises at least one of a length of thecomponent in the machine direction, a placement of the component in themachine direction, a placement of the component in the cross direction,a skew of the component, a cross-directional placement of features onthe component, or a machine directional placement of features on thecomponent.
 12. The method of claim 8, further comprising disablinggeneration of phasing commands if the difference between the locationvalue and the setpoint is greater than a threshold value.
 13. The methodof claim 8, wherein the location value is an average of locations for aset of components.
 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:maintaining a group of two or more setpoints, wherein each setpointcorresponds to a different orientation of a component, and using theorientation of the component to select a setpoint from the group for thecomparison.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the phasing commandphases a turner in the manufacturing system.
 16. A computerized methodfor controlling a component transformation in a manufacturing systemcomprising: receiving, at one or more processors, electronic images ofcomponents used by the manufacturing system to produce a manufacturedgood; classifying the images into two or more subpopulations; analyzingthe images, by the one or more processors, using a virtual frame ofreference to determine location values associated with the components;using the location values to determine a mathematical characteristic ofeach of the subpopulations; and using the mathematical characteristic togenerate a phasing command for a machine in the manufacturing system.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the mathematical characteristic isan average of location values.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thelocation values correspond to locations of components in thecross-direction.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: usingthe location values to determine a mathematical characteristic of imagesacross two or more subpopulations; comparing the mathematicalcharacteristic to a threshold value; and generating a phasing commandfor the machine in the manufacturing system based on the comparison. 20.The method of claim 18, wherein the mathematical characteristic is anaverage of location values, and wherein the location values correspondto locations of components in the machine direction, and wherein thethreshold value is based on a setpoint location in themachine-direction.